A new era of sports car racing begins this weekend at Silverstone, as the ACO’s much-anticipated 2014 LMP1 regulations debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The game-changing set of technical rules sees the premier prototype class now not only measured by speed, but also efficiency, with each car limited to a specified fuel allocation. It marks as much as a 30 percent reduction in consumption from last year.

Pastor Maldonado climbs out of the cockpit after his accident Friday morning. (Photo: Steven Tee/LAT Photographic)

Pastor Maldonado’s accident-prone season continued in China today when the Lotus driver crashed in the pit entry road.

Maldonado repeated a mistake seen in the past when he ran wide at the tight left-hander and understeered off the road into the tire wall. Earlier he had an off-track moment when he appeared to be distracted while making an adjustment on the steering wheel.